Care home thrills elderly trainspotters by building a train

When elderly trainspotters became too frail to go out for train journeys, their care home’s manager Chris White decided to build them a life-size train carriage instead.

Using seats donated from an old steam engine, courtesy of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Mr White got the in-house handyman at The Gateway Care Home to build a vintage eight-seater train carriage.

The Bradford care home’s residents can dine in the ‘Gateway Express’, with dishes laid on white linen table cloth as they watch film footage of a real train journey of their choice.

Complete with flat screen TVs as train windows, the train took three months to build.

Deputy care home manager Sarah Moore told carehome.co.uk: “Before the carriage was built, the room used to be a quiet lounge but residents didn’t use it much.

"We have a lot of train enthusiasts and they absolutely love it. The carriage was open to residents for the first time last week.”

Residents can sit back and sip tea while they see the valleys of Wales, the Yorkshire dales or even foreign lands whizz by to the sound of a train whistle, the scream of steam as it chugs along, and the repetitive rumble of train tracks underfoot.

Resident Denise Garthwaite, aged 75 said: “I think it’s wonderful and very real”.

Trainspotter Kenneth Hudson aged 87, is so thrilled by the new train experience he’s booked out the carriage for a romantic dining experience for two to celebrate his 60th wedding anniversary on 8 March. As yet, he hasn't decided exactly where he will take his wife.

Last Monday, residents saw Glasgow Valley. On Tuesday it was Gloucestershire.

The deputy care home manager said: “Some of the residents stay on the train for a round trip. Others like to sit in it all day. We also have Yorkshire and we’re getting the Eurostar from London to Paris soon.”

When asked what is the most requested train journey, Ms Moore said: “Residents have asked to see the Scottish Highlands.”

Next to the carriage there is a ticket office where residents can queue to get a ticket but she adds: “Tickets are free to residents.”